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Archive of posts filed under the Zittrain category.

People behave better when there are not explicit regulations dictating how to behave. The idea of removing regulations and instead enforcing standards could be applied to many other areas of our lives. I wonder what would happen if we tried to do it?

Generative Machine vs. Appliance We are moving increasingly toward appliancized machines — think TiVo, iPod, Blackberry, iPhone. With software and applications moving off the PC and onto the Web we can use our PC as a dummy terminal to access online applications. Continuous internet access creates the situation where our PCs and appliances can be …

A key concept in Zitrain’s book, The Future of the Internet and How to Stop it, is generativity. Every machine is not (and should not be) designed with generativity in mind. Generative systems are not inherently superior to non-generative systems; each must be examined as to its benefits and shortcomings individually. Generative systems facilitate innovation and invite outside contributions. These affordances of PCs and the Internet are also a source of risk to all who use them.

Yesterday I recieved my copy of Jonathan Zittrain’s book The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It. Zittrain is a Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. When I first saw the title, I wondered why anyone would want to stop it? So, I decided to read the book and find out. Chapter …